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Entry 4 by Ifeoluwa Watson

Nobody took any notice of me as I emptied the contents of my stomach into the gutter nearby. They were too busy watching the new madwoman as she broke into a run leaving her wares behind. All the agberos fell to the feast as they gulped the drinks down their long throats. They are all shameless thieves. I never steal like them, yet they call me a madwoman. They always use the smallest excuse to steal and destroy things.

I remember the last fight they had here. It was really bloody. I heard it was because of one important politician called Funsho who was killed by the Jaguda boys. I did not know who the agberos even supported because they were just beating people up and snatching their bags. I had hid inside the gutter when they poured petrol on one of the buses. My house nearly got burnt that day but I quickly stopped the flames with water from the gutter. These people here can really be wicked; instead of helping me to stop the fire they were standing, pointing and laughing at me. Mad people!

I’m really confused about what’s happening to me these days. My body seems to be changing and I find it hard to even wake up early in the morning as I used to do.

Even Roscoe’s thing is not as sweet as before. Yesterday when he called me, I didn’t answer him. This morning as I stood before aboki to buy my morning food, my stomach turned and I quickly ran to the gutter and vomited greenish things.

Tonight, Roscoe has not come to call me. Maybe he’s angry because I refused him yesterday. I feel so cold because it has been raining throughout the day and my house is wet everywhere. Then, I decide to go to Roscoe’s bus to find somewhere dry to sleep but when I get there he is smoking with his friends and he drives me away.

******

Many weeks have passed now and my stomach is very big. Some of the women selling things have been very nice to me. That Mama Segun gave me two wrappers and a blouse. She must have seen that I’m getting too big for my clothes. Some of the people passing by my house, stop and shake their heads when they see my big stomach –

“The man who did this must be an animal! Abi who else would touch a dirty mad woman like this?”

They were right about Roscoe being an animal because he has stopped calling me to come to his danfo but he is not totally bad because he still gives me money to buy food.

These people think I’m mad but I’m going to prove them all wrong when I have my child. I know Roscoe will be very happy to become a father and he will take me to his house – a house with windows and doors but I will really miss this open fine house.